Play toy



Dec. 19, 1950 v.1. FRECHTMANN 2,534,550

PLAY TOY Filed March 18, 1949 IN VEN TOR.

Jean Frechtmonn Patented Dec. 19, 1950 2,534,550 ii X TQ ilemlFmechtmann Ear-is; Erance mmli jo i i iwh 9 49; Str a fN 151 omthepart of the childandwvhichwill thereby be 'helpf-ul in the-training and i'n thed'eveloping ofthe childs manual and mental dexterity and alertnessa It is another ohjeet' of the tpresent inventiorr to provitle a game or toy of the character; described which sinvolves manipulation of: color and-shape developing in a childa knowledge and unders-tandlng of col'ors and their differentiation and a knowledge and appreciation ofsliape'and def come" more apparent to those skilled in the art from the embodiment thereof shown in the aceompanying drawings and fromthe description following. It is'tobeunderstood, however,-that such embodiment isshown by wayof-- illustration only to make the principles and praeticeof he invention more readily comprehensible and with} out any intent of limiting the inventionto the specific detaiistherein shown;

EZ-ienera-lly stated? the present invention contemplates: the. provision of a toy including. a slotted; board" and van-colored counters which Fig; lis a'plan-view'of ar-toy device of the present invention showing a design in c'olorspartly' completed" thereon;

Fig: 2 is' a plan View; ona reducedscal'e, of a" preformed, printed design chart from; which the design on Fig. 4 is copied-1 Fig; 3 1's an enlarged; fragmentary plan View ofithe board of the device of the present? invention showing differently colored and difierentl'y shaped counters disposedthereon;

Fig 4- is an enlarged section taken on line4-4 maybe placed? and manipulate'd inthe slots into different arrangements; representing designs" cf many colors" and many" different: shapes; This boardganda'counter may be: associated: with, charts havinga'ai preformed design thereon: which is to betfo'll'owediby the player oruser-of-"the toy; or'ti i'e toy: may be used: forftheformatiorr and; creationv oftorigina'l designs:

mthe' 'drawingst- Fig; 5' is an enlarged isometric view of" one-form of counter-that may: be used with the toyof-th'e present" invention, viewed" from its bottom.

Referring more specifically: to the accompanying drawings, the toy-of the present invention may comprise a frame It which may preferably be of rectangularcross-sectionand of substantial thickness, on the toy of which; asin therecess or'seat H, maybe-secured a boardiZ;

Both'the frame and the board may be formed of any desirable; suitable material; such as plastic; metal or wood and they may be formed of the sameor difierentmaterialsif desired or they maybe integrally formed;

The-board !2* has a pluralityof parallel slots !3, evenly spaced iron} one anothegformedtherein, providing evenparallelibarsi M. The slots [3 which terminate short of the; edges off-the board t2-maybe'f'ormedwith enlargements 15 at each end-, to" providea degree of resilience tothe edges of the bars [It for the purpose which will herena e b qome e r- It may here bestatedj, however, that the board may also be formed of separate juxtaposed bars ii, each, nd i l y s ured n p a e on he rame l'li'.

Provided in association with the slottedboard I5 are" a plurality of vari colored counters, each gen ly s g ed: as Eac nter o piece [8 comprises a flatto I! havingapcolored surface; and an elongated, flat stem I8 adapted to fit into a slot l3 extendinggfrozn the underside v ofthetop li'l-"and perpendicular theretaso that the stem; IT- is inserted into a slot it; the top- Fl} willbeflat' on the board [2; The stem i-iiinay-be formed witha'thickenedj end edge; i9 ofslightlfy greater cross section than the width ofasl'ot I3; sothat itwillrequirefercing'through theslot l 3;, past the slightly resilient edgesof the adjacent bars M3 and will be securely retained in place to be-onlymanualljy removable therefrom.

The-counters I5 maybe forined: with tops; i

of difierent sizes and shapes the size= depending both on the width of such as triangular and hexagonal, may be provided and effectively used to create designs on the board 12.

The toy of the present invention may be accompanied with a plurality of charts 25, such as the chart shown in Fig. 2, on which a design in colors is printed in sections 25 simulating the same outline as the counters, is shown and from which the design of Fig. 1 is copied.

If desired, the formation or copying of the design on the bar from a chart 25 may be facilitated by consecutively numbering the squares or counter simulating sections 26 on the chart 25 and outlining similar areas, similarly numbered, on the board E2 of the toy, in a manner readily understood, so that a player may be'able to tellreadily the sequence in which the various colored counters forming the design are to be arranged on the board.

It may here be stated that the toy of the present invention may be used in flat position on a table or similar supporting surface or that it may be provided with easel supports to be played in substantially upright position, in a manner readily understood and not thought necessary to be specifically illustrated.

This completes the description of the toy of the present invention. It will be readily apparent that such toy is of great interest as well as of great instructive value, aiding in the acquisition of knowledge and understanding of color and shape as well as in the development of originality along these lines. It will also be apparent that the game or toy of the present invention is of simple construction and may be economically produced and that it is easy and simple to manipulate and play even for a relatively young child.

It will further be apparent that many modifications and variations, other than those pointed out above, may be made in the toy of the present invention by anyone skilled in the art in accordance with the principles hereinabove set forth without the use of any inventive ingenuity. I desire, therefore, to be protected for any and all such modifications and variations that may be made within the spirit of the present invention and the scope of the claims hereto appended.

What I claim is:

1. A toy of the character described comprising a board provided with a plurality of equidistant narrow slots parallel to each other and closed at their both ends, a frame surrounding said board and adapted to support said board, and counters each having a polygonal top adapted to bear on one face of said board and a fiat stem extending beneath said top at right angles to said top from the central portion thereof and adapted to be inserted into or removed from any one of said slots and to be moved in said slot as well in the longitudinal direction of said slots as in a direction at right angles to said board, said counters being adapted to be distributed with their stems in said slots in such manner that the tops form designs of various shapes.

2. A toy of the character described com-prising a board provided with a plurality of equidistant withatight fit by a pressure exerted on said counters in a direction at right angles to said board and to be moved in said slot as well in the longitudinal direction of said slots as in a direction at right angles to said board, said counters being adapted to be distributed with their stems in said slots in such manner that the tops form designs of various shapes.

3. A toy of the character described comprising a board provided with a plurality of equidistant narrow slots parallel to each other and closed at their both ends, a frame surrounding said board and adapted to support said board at a distance above the lower face of said frame, and counters each having a polygonal top adapted to bear on the upper face of said board and a fiat stem extending beneath said top at right angles to said top from the central portion thereof and ending at its lower portion above said lower face of said frame when said top bears on said board, said stem thickening towards its lower end to a dimension slightly greater than the width of said slots, whereby said stem may be moved in said slots as well'in the longitudinal direction of said slots as in a direction at right angles to said board and may be inserted into or removed from any one of said slots with a tight fit by a pressure exerted on said counters in a direction at right angles to said board.

4. A toy of tbe character described comprising a board provided with a plurality of equidistant narrow slots parallel to each other and closed at their both ends, a frame surrounding said board and adapted to support said board, and vari-colored counters, each having a polygonal top adapted to bear on one face of said board and a flat stem extending beneath said top at right angles to said top from the central portion thereof and adapted to be inserted into or removed from any one of said slots and to be moved in said slot as well in the longitudinal direction of said slots as in a direction at right angles to said board, said counters being adapted to be distributed with their stems in said slots in such manner that the tops form designs of various shapes and colours.

5. A toy of the character described comprising a board provided with a plurality of equidistant narrow slots parallel to each other and closed at their both ends, a frame surrounding said board and adapted to support the edges of said board outside of said slots, whereby said slots are accessible from both sides of said board, and counters each having a polygonal top adapted to bear on one face of said board and a flat stem extending beneath said top at right angles to said top from the central portion thereof and adapted to be inserted into or removed from any one of said slots and to be moved in said slot as well in the longitudinal direction of said slots as in a direction at right angles to said board, said counters being adapted to be distributed with their stems in said slots in such manner that the ,tops form designs of various shapes.

6. A toy of the character described comprising a board provided with a plurality of equidistant narrow slots parallel to each other and closed at their ends, in combination with a plurality of counters, each having a polygonal top adapted to bear on one side of said board and a flat stem extending beneath said top at right angles to said top from the central portion thereof, and adapted to be inserted into and removed from any of said slots and to be moved in said slots as well as in the longitudinal direction of said slots as in a direction at right angles to said 5 board, said counters being adapted to be distributed with their stems in said slots in such The following i e fjerences are of record in the file of this patent: 0

UNITED STATES PATENTS Name Date Gilbert June 22, 1869 Clark Dec. 29, 1891 Konig Dec. 5, 1893 Blaisdell Mar. 31, 1896 Horwitz Feb. 22, 1949 

